New website for International Timber constructed and launched

Our latest digital project for Saint Gobain is a brand new website for their International Timber brand – the UK’s leading importer and distributor of bespoke, sustainable timber and panel products.

The previous site was not working hard enough marketing the brand and the presentation of the product range was less than inspiring. Cite were appointed after creating a number of successful websites for the parent brand previously.

Designing for the target audience

There were a number of critical objectives, most important being designing the site for the various identified audiences – architects, building merchants and manufacturers. We mapped out a series of user journeys optimised for each audience segment to ensure their differing needs were fulfilled.

The planning, UX and creative delivery also included the implementation of the new visual identity for the International Timber brand.

Maximising conversion

The primary goal was to encourage visitors to request a quote for products, or physical product samples. The site is essentially a product catalogue and the sample request process had to be carefully considered and intuitive for the user. This CTA was maximised throughout the user interface, while still presenting the expertise and services that International Timber offer.

Users can save samples they are interested in as they browse the website which can be managed in an area that resembles a ‘basket’ in an e-commerce website. When it comes time to get in touch and request the samples, we constructed a form that loads all samples they have previously selected, and prompts the user to choose an address to send them to.  This gives prospects a high level of control over their sample requests, saving them valuable time and providing a great user experience.

Building product data efficiency

Early in the project, we identified flaws in the way 2500 product variations had been exported and provided to us. After some analysis, we restructured and optimised the entire product database which can now be managed easily by the client, reducing the overhead on internal time and resources.

Creating a useful Resource Library

As touched on earlier, it was key that International Timber presented themselves as the source of knowledge for all things timber – to stand out dramatically from competitors. They have an extremely useful product catalogue, aimed at industry professionals who know what they’re looking for. 

However, what about the everyday individual who is trying to discover inspiration or may need a helping hand? That’s where the Resource Library comes in. We helped create a dedicated hub of information where curious visitors can easily search and access valuable content. It would be populated with interesting articles to spark creativity, technical documents for detail and educational videos to inform. 

Drawing inspiration from search tools and design choices used on eCommerce websites, we created a visually dynamic and intuitive interface that would help visitors find content best suited for their needs. We can’t wait to see what the client puts on there and can guarantee we will be visiting the Resource Library for ideas and tips for our own DIY projects at home!

Reflection

Looking back at the project, we asked the lead Account Manager, Stephen, for his thoughts:

“The project as a whole went really smoothly, from the offset the client preferred to work in small bite size chunks which paved the way for an efficient phasing process of building the new website. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the International Timber team; they’re incredibly easy to work alongside, always efficient and prompt with feedback and it allowed us to work effortlessly on creating solutions. It’s a slick build, clean from the front and back-end!”

Marketing Director for Saint-Gobain Off-Site, Will Jones, commented:

“We enjoyed working with Cite from the start. They were responsive to our preferred way of working, which sped up delivery and reduced lost time, meaning the site was ready in line with our challenging deadline. They were also flexible enough to handle some unanticipated issues around data without it slowing the project down. We’re really pleased with the site so far, and looking forward to launching future enhancements later this year.”

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